About the Exhibit

Love + Liberation: A History of LGBTQ+ Durham

In 2010, local LGBTQ+ community member Luke Hirst approached librarian Lynn Richardson about starting an archive of LGBTQ+ materials in the Durham County Library’s North Carolina Collection. This meeting kicked off a multiyear collaboration that has included a panel discussion on the history of Durham’s LGBTQ+ community, “collecting days” at the library during which people brought in materials to donate to the archive, an oral history program, the acquisition of numerous items for the archive, and this web exhibit.

Exhibit Curators

Joanne Abel

One of the pioneers of Durham’s lesbian community and retired librarian, Durham County Library

Luke Hirst

Initiator of and driving force behind the project

Kristen Merryman

Librarian, North Carolina Collection

Lynn Richardson

Senior librarian, North Carolina Collection

Feminary, vol. 9, no. 10. In 1973, the Feminist Newsletter began publishing every other week, changing its name to Feminary in 1974. North Carolina Collection, Durham County Library

Supporters

This project would not have been possible without the support of many people in the community, including:

Donors of Funds

Joanne Abel

Jen Ansley

Ariyah April and Chanel Chambers

Victoria Bouloubasis

Linda Chupkowski

Meg Coward and Sarah Schwartz Sax

Tammerie Day

Andrew Bartlett Evans

Claudia Horwitz

Barbara Lau

Stacie Nagy

Tema Okun

Ian Pointer

Kari Points

Cris Rivera

Lanya Shapiro

Mig Murphy Sistrom

Allison Wallsh

Sylvia Williams and Helena Cragg

Cara Wittekind

Courtney Young

Donors of Papers

Joanne Abel

Carol Anderson

Nancy Blood

Betsy Barton

Meredith Emmett

Joseph Fedrowitz

Mindy Fraiser

Amy Glaser

Lucy Harris

Richard Dillwood and Carrie Hart

Meredith Heil

Luke Hirst

Holly Jordan

Collin Lee (on behalf of Queer Coalition)

Deirdre Lutz

Carol Place

Queer Coalition

Kym Register

Cris Rivera and Beth Stringfield

Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture at Duke University

Steve Schewel

Allan Troxler

Jaye Vaughn

Oral Histories

Joanne Abel

David Anderson

Quinton Baker

Nancy Blood

Beth Bruch

Cathy Chandler from the Durham County Library’s Coming out in the South Panel Discussion

Alex Córdova

Lea Córdova

Helena Cragg

Sean Dillard

Joseph Fedrowitz

Vanessa Fixmer-Oraiz

Wanda Floyd

Amy Glaser

Lucy Harris

Patricia Harris

Arthur Herring

Mignon Hooper

Sherry Kinlaw

Connie Leeper from the Durham County Library’s Coming out in the South Panel Discussion

Erin Dawson Linn

Neeve Neevel

Madeleine Pabis

Rock Piquet

Janet Read

Cris Rivera and Beth Stringfield

Ed Swan

Boo Tyson and Laurie Hays Coffman

John Valentine

Mitchell Vann

Jaye Vaughn

Grover Wehman

Dale Wolf

Larry Wright

Consultants

Betsy Barton

Nancy Blood

Mandy Carter

Dolores Chandler

Lea Cordova

Gail Crabtree

Helena Cragg

Meredith Emmett

Oscar Garcia

Barbara Lau

Dee Lutz

Rama Mills

Nan Pincus

Barb Smalley

Allan Troxler

About the Exhibit

In 2010, local LGBTQ+ community member Luke Hirst approached librarian Lynn Richardson about starting an archive of LGBTQ+ materials in the Durham County Library’s North Carolina Collection. Learn more